Tim Merlier (Soudal-Quickstep) made it three in a row at Nokere Koerse in the 2024 edition.
The Belgian overcame a near crash in the final kilometre and a dropped chain, making a small lead group heading into the final climb of the Nokereberg, then blasted away just as the climb began.
Fabio Jakobsen (DSM-Firmenich-PostNl) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) rounded out the podium.
Nokere Koerse is a midweek Spring Classic that is part of the UCI Pro Series. Taking place on March 13, 2024, the race precedes Milan-San Remo and offers a course suited to strong sprinters.
The 2024 Nokere Koerse route is a bit shorter than 2023's, with 188.1km of racing between Deinze and Nokere. The course takes a long route southeast before looping back toward Oudenaarde. The riders have to tackle six climbs before the three local loops in Nokere, each 31.7km long.
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